This invention relates to a connector provided with a spacer for doubly retaining a plurality of connection terminals, received in a housing body.
A related connector comprises a connector housing, having terminal receiving chambers, and connection terminals received respectively in these terminal receiving chambers. A lance is formed integrally within each of the terminal receiving chambers, and the inserted connection terminal is engaged with this lance, and is prevented from withdrawal.
However, a sufficient retaining force for the connection terminal can not be provided only by the lance, and therefore in recent years, there have been used a construction in which a spacer, separate from a connector housing, is attached to the connector housing so as to doubly retain the connection terminals.
FIG. 19 shows a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-29276A.
The connector 1 shown in FIG. 19 comprises a housing body 2 for receiving a plurality of connection terminals (not shown), and a spacer 3 for being attached to the housing body 2.
A plurality of terminal receiving chambers 4 are formed through the housing body 2 in a forward-rearward direction, and are arranged in two (upper and lower) rows. A spacer mounting hole 6 is formed in an upper wall 5 of the housing body 2, and extends downwardly therefrom, the spacer mounting hole 6 being disposed perpendicularly to the plurality of terminal receiving chambers 4. A lance (not shown) is formed integrally within each of the plurality of terminal receiving chambers 4.
The spacer mounting hole 6 is a rectangular hole communicating with the plurality of terminal receiving chambers 4, and grooves 8 are formed in a rear edge portion of the spacer mounting hole 6 intermediate opposite sides thereof, and are spaced a suitable distance from each other, the grooves 8 being continuous with a partition wall 7 separating the upper and lower rows of terminal receiving chambers 4 from each other. Lock arms 9 for the spacer 3 are formed integrally in the groove portions 8, respectively.
The spacer 3 of a frame-like configuration includes a pair of upper and lower lid members 10 and 11 interconnected by a plurality of partition plates 12. The spacer 3 has ribs 13 for being engaged respectively with the lock arms 9. The ribs 13 are disposed at a level slightly lower than the upper lid member 10. Each of these ribs has a sufficient thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the lock arm 9, and can be received in the groove 8.
When the spacer 3 is pushed into the spacer mounting hole 6, so that the lock arms 9 are elastically deformed to be engaged respectively with the ribs 13, retaining walls 14 of the spacer 3 engage the connection terminals (not shown). The connection terminals are doubly retained by the housing body 2 and the spacer 3, and therefore are prevented from withdrawal.
Incidentally, in recent years, it has been desired to achieve a compact design of parts such as a connector.
In the above related technique, however, the lock arms 9 are formed at the rear edge portion of the spacer mounting hole 6 intermediate the opposite sides thereof, and are spaced a suitable distance from each other, and therefore the outer size of the housing body 2 has been increased by an amount corresponding to a space for retaining the spacer 3, that is, the space for the grooves 8.
The above retaining space is indispensable to the connector 1 provided with the spacer 3, and therefore it has been difficult to meet the requirement of the compact design.
If the above retaining space is reduced so as to form the housing body 2 into a compact design, the retaining force for retaining the spacer 3 is reduced, which has led to possibilities that the spacer 3 is displaced upwardly relative to the upper wall 5 and that the spacer 3 is disengaged from the housing body during transport.
Usually, that portion of the housing body 2, in which the spacer 3 is mounted, is disposed at that portion of this housing body on which a mating connector is fitted, and therefore when the outer size of the housing body 2 increases, the outer size of the mating connector naturally increases.
Therefore, in view of the foregoing, it is necessary to make improvements so as to achieve the compact design of the connector.
This invention has been made under the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a connector which is formed into a compact design while maintaining a sufficient retaining force for a spacer.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connector comprising:
a housing body provided with a pair of first retainers and a plurality of terminal chambers for accommodating a plurality of connection terminals;
a spacer attached to the housing body for doubly retaining the connection terminals in the housing body, provided with a pair of second retainers which is to be engaged with the first retainers when the spacer is attached to the housing body; and
a pair of finger pads respectively protruded from outer faces of both side walls of the housing body, on which an user""s fingers are abutted to perform connection with respect to a mating connector,
wherein the spacer is attached into a mounting hole formed in either a top face or a bottom face of the housing body so as to communicate with the respective terminal chambers and to include inner faces of the both side walls of the housing body;
wherein the width of the mounting hole is widened outwardly at portions opposing to the respective finger pads; and
wherein at least a part of the first retainers are provided in the widened portion of the mounting hole.
According to the above configuration, the finger pads are formed by reducing the width of the housing body, and the portion for receiving the retainer of the spacer having a sufficient thickness to keep a sufficient retaining ability is formed inside of the finger pads. Therefore, there is achieved an advantageous effect that there can be provided the connector which is formed into a compact design while maintaining the sufficient retaining force for the spacer.
Preferably, each of the second retainers includes a provisional retainer for provisionally engaging the spacer with the housing body, and a complete retainer for completely engaging the spacer with the housing body.
According to the above configuration, the connection terminals can be received in the housing body, with the spacer held in a provisionally-retained condition. Therefore, workability can be improved.
Preferably, the provisional retainers and the complete retainers are provided as projections. Here, either a slit or a through hole is formed in the vicinity of the respective provisional retainers and the complete retainers.
According to the above configuration, when provisionally or completely retaining the spacer, the provisional retainer or the complete retainer is elastically deformed because of the provision of the through hole or the slit, and therefore the attachment of the spacer can be easily effected.
Preferably, the spacer includes a front holder connected via a hinge, and the front holder is engaged with a front portion of the housing body to regulate positions of the connection terminals accommodated in the housing body.
According to the above configuration, even when the spacer has the added function (position regulating of the connection terminals), the compact design can be achieved.
Preferably, a widthwise dimension of the connector including the finger pads is so determined as to be smaller than a widthwise dimension of the mating connector.
According to the above configuration, when the connector is connected to the mating connector, the size of the two connectors will not be increased by providing the pair of finger pads.